


Occasion: Honeymoon, Destination: Bahamas

by ImprobableDreams900



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: 100 percent unadulterated fluff, Fluff, Honeymoon, M/M, drunk!Carlos, literally nothing bad happens, mildly drunk!Cecil, the bahamas, yes I wrote fluff it's weird I know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 11:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4520202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImprobableDreams900/pseuds/ImprobableDreams900
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil and Carlos go to the Bahamas for their honeymoon, and everything is fluffy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Occasion: Honeymoon, Destination: Bahamas

**Author's Note:**

> So if you've read anything else by me, you'll know that I specialize in angst, angst, and, oh yes, angst. Literally everything I have ever written for these two is angst. And I began to feel bad. So here--I dropped them on a tropical island and told them to have a nice time. Also, I went on vacation recently (though not to the Bahamas, sigh) and decided they deserved a break too.
> 
> I apologize if I cannot write fluff; I really haven't tried before. It's like learning a new language. "You want the characters to be...*tilts head* happy? I don't understand." Anyway, it's also to get all the possible fluff out of my system, because my next fic is going to be very.../very/ *rubs hands together evilly*...angsty. ;)

Carlos jumped out of the car and ran across the lawn to the door to his and Cecil's house. His left hand was full, so he grabbed his keys out of his lab coat pocket with his right and jammed them in the door.

Once inside, he ran into the living room. "Cecil?" he called, moving onto the next room, searching for his husband.

"In the kitchen!" came the reply.

Carlos made a beeline for the kitchen and found Cecil sitting at one of the barstools by the counter, sorting through some papers and looking up at him expectantly.

Carlos just beamed at him and held up his left hand. "We got it," he said breathlessly.

Cecil's mouth dropped open into a perfect round O. "No," he breathed.

 _"Yes,"_ Carlos confirmed, grinning like an idiot and still holding up his left hand in triumph.

Cecil hopped off the barstool and ran over to him. Carlos held out his hand and Cecil took the contents, two rectangular slips of paper. "I cannot believe the City Council approved this. I mean, we _hoped_ _—_ "

Carlos took Cecil by the elbows, and the radio host looked up to meet his gaze.

"Cecil, honey," he said, still grinning. "I know it’s a bit late for our honeymoon, but we're going to the Bahamas!"

 

~~~***~~~

 

" _Another_ margarita!" cried a slightly tipsy Cecil to their waitress, a tanned young woman in a grass skirt.

A rather more drunk Carlos made an embarrassing noise that was somewhere between a burp and a laugh. "Me...too," he managed, grinning.

They were sitting at a bamboo table beside a white sand beach. Palm trees dotted the beach, and a deliciously warm breeze swept through the restaurant, fluttering the grass table skirts and Carlos' sand-dusted-yet-still-perfect hair.

Carlos plucked his green paper umbrella from his drink and leaned forward to tuck it behind Cecil's ear, poking the radio host in the cheek several times before succeeding. Carlos giggled drunkenly at the sight and promptly reached for his drink.

"You’re so...cute," Carlos managed, planting his elbows on the table and trying to stop from swaying so much.

"I think you might be about done," Cecil said, hiccuping.

"Not til...you done, too," Carlos slurred. "Scientifically speaking..." Here Carlos broke off to lean back and snort unattractively. "Sciestifissly—"

Cecil burst out laughing, and a moment later their drinks arrived.

"Thank you, I think we'll be done after this," Cecil told her, trying unsuccessfully to keep his voice from wavering up and down an octave.

If she replied, Cecil missed it, because he was suddenly enraptured by the yellow umbrella in his new drink.

He tried to stick it behind Carlos' ear, but missed completely and stabbed it into his hair instead.

Cecil burst out laughing and Carlos descended into sniggers as well as he pulled his drink closer. It took three tries to find the electric-pink curly straw with his mouth, and on the third try managed to knock the paper umbrella out of his hair and into his drink, where it floated upside down forlornly.

Cecil, in the middle of taking a sip of his own drink, choked and spewed margarita all over the table. "S—orry," he gasped, reaching over to where Carlos was staring down at the umbrella floating in his drink, looking completely crestfallen. Cecil plucked the umbrella from his husband's drink with surprising deftness and succeeded in tucking it behind his ear this time.

"Much better," Cecil cooed, his hand lingering on Carlos’ cheek. He made a concerted effort to lean back instead of pulling Carlos in closer for a kiss right there. It was still a bit too public for that, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop once he got going. "Let's go back to our room," Cecil suggested brightly, standing up.

He immediately had to reach back for the table to steady himself as his feet stumbled.

Carlos giggled and pushed back his chair. He staggered to his feet, made it around the table, and promptly crashed into Cecil.

"Mmm, hi," Carlos whispered hoarsely into his ear as he clung to Cecil for support. He reeked of alcohol and lime, but for some reason that was just supremely attractive.

Cecil grinned and started to lead Carlos away, but the scientist suddenly held up a hand. Cecil swayed to a stop as Carlos leaned back over towards the table and grabbed at his drink. He ignored the straw and took several long gulps straight from the side before dropping it back on the table. He gave Cecil a thumbs-up that was more sideways than up, and Cecil led him away from the table. He had to pause every few yards to find his footing as Carlos wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer, whispering something delightful-sounding in his ear.

 

~~~***~~~

 

"This was a bad idea," Cecil said nervously, glancing down at the water. He kept his hands firmly gripped around Carlos' arm as the scientist led him out onto the sailboat.

"No, come on, it'll be fun!" Carlos insisted, tugging him along. "It's perfectly safe."

"I can't swim," Cecil blurted out, keeping his eyes fixed on the bright blue water. "What if we...we...capsize or something? What if—"

"We're not going to capsize," Carlos assured him patiently, patting his arm reassuringly. "And you'll get a life vest in just a second, and if we end up overboard, Cecil, I swear I won't let you drown, okay?"

Cecil forced himself to nod and let Carlos slowly pull him across the last few feet of dock.

"Now just step down into the boat. Come on, like this." Carlos moved away from Cecil's side and stepped carefully into the slowly rocking sailboat. He turned and reached back up for Cecil. "I gotcha. Give me your hands."

Cecil reached out for him hesitantly, and Carlos helped him step down into the boat.

"I've never been on a boat before," Cecil admitted, sticking close to Carlos' side and eyeing the water distrustfully.

"It's fun," Carlos said cheerfully. "And remind me to teach you a little swimming later."

Cecil made a frightened sound of assent as Carlos led him further onto the little boat.

He found an out-of-the-way bench and settled himself and Cecil on it, keeping hold of the radio host's hand to keep him calm.

Ten minutes later, the sailboat started away from the dock for its leisurely trip around the islands.

Cecil's grip on Carlos immediately tightened as the boat lurched into motion, and then loosened gradually as they settled into a smooth acceleration.

"There, that's not so bad, right?" Carlos said with a grin. Cecil gave him a shaky smile and Carlos carefully drew him to his feet. "Here, let's look around," he suggested.

Cecil kept a tight hold of his hand as Carlos led him up to the edge of the boat and rested his hands on the railing. "See?" Carlos said, feeling Cecil's hand relax on his as he gazed out over the ocean. The main island was rapidly shrinking behind them, and a couple smaller ones were laid out in front of them, tiny white crests breaking over white sand beaches. The water all around them was a brilliant crystal blue, the sky was huge and bright and deep, and the spray was a cool mist against their skin.

Carlos looked over at Cecil to see him gazing out towards the islands, enraptured.

"Oh, Carlos, it's beautiful," Cecil breathed.

And in that moment, with the breeze blowing Cecil's hair back and the sun highlighting every gorgeous line of his face, uplifted in wonder, Carlos thought he had never looked more beautiful.

"I mean," Cecil amended, "living on a rock surrounded by a violent watery ocean must be terrifying, what with being at the mercy of sea serpents and oceanic deities—"

Carlos leaned over and broke him off with a long kiss.

Cecil melted into the contact, and even let go of the handrail to wrap his arms around Carlos instead.

The boat broke through a small swell and the ship tilted slightly to the side. Though Carlos was content to simply sway back to his original position and carry on with Cecil, Cecil pulled back and made a desperate grab for the railing. He missed and started tipping towards the edge of the boat.

Carlos made good use of his arms around Cecil's waist and pulled him gently away from the edge. Cecil's grip on him tightened, and for a moment he looked utterly terrified. Then he looked up and met Carlos' gaze, and a self-conscious half-smile spread across his face.

"See, this boat thing's not half bad, is it?" Carlos asked with a grin.

Cecil's smile broadened until it mirrored the scientist's. "Not with you here, it isn't." And he leaned in for another kiss.

 

~~~***~~~

 

Cecil splashed some water at Carlos, leaving the scientist spluttering and wiping at his eyes.

He squinted at the blurry shape he knew was Cecil as it doubled over in the water, giggling.

"Hey!" he protested weakly. "No fair; I'm blind!" He really shouldn’t have allowed Cecil to convince him to leave his glasses in the room.

"Excuses, excuses," Cecil admonished, moving closer.

They were in the water right along the edge of the beach, close enough that they could both feel the shifting sand beneath their feet, and with a sheltering arm of rocks not far away, they were largely shielded from the waves.

"You know, I thought the purpose of this expedition was to teach you how to swim," Carlos pointed out, moving backwards as Cecil advanced on him.

"Oh, it's not so bad," Cecil said casually, still closing on him. "The water's not too deep and I know you'll save me if anything happens."

Carlos felt himself grinning as he continued backpedaling and trying to evade Cecil. "What if there's a shark attack?" he quizzed wildly. "Or a...a sea serpent?"

He thought Cecil might have been smiling at him; it was hard to tell without his glasses. "Then I'll go after it," Cecil said as he moved even closer. "Just...like... _this!"_

And somehow Cecil managed, even through the water, to leap at him, and Carlos tried to back up further but Cecil reached him anyway. The next thing he knew, Cecil was raining him with kisses, and Carlos was trying weakly to fend him off and stop laughing at the same time. His head ran close to the surface of the water, but even in his ferociousness Cecil was careful, and he didn't end up swallowing any water.

After Cecil had relented and coaxed several kisses in return out of Carlos, Cecil announced he was going to go get them drinks.

"What would you like, perfectly imperfect Carlos?" Cecil crooned as he leaned over to plant another kiss on Carlos' temple.

"Anything you like," Carlos said with a smile. "Maybe something fruity? Nothing alcoholic quite yet."

Cecil nodded and kissed him again. "Okay. Be right back."

And then Cecil was gone, making his way out of the water towards the buildings along the beach. Carlos watched him go until his form was indecipherable from those of the other men and women milling around and relaxing on the beach.

Carlos sighed contentedly and stood alone for a few moments in the water, prodding around with his feet for any interesting-feeling shells.

The minutes ticked by and eventually Carlos began to worry. Maybe Cecil had gotten lost? Or maybe he couldn’t find the exact cove where Carlos was; there were quite a few of them, and it was possible he was wandering around looking for Carlos.

So Carlos abandoned the small pile of shells he’d pushed together with his toes and splashed his way to shore.

The warm sun felt delicious on his dripping skin, but he ignored it for the moment. He walked along the beach, squinting over at the cluster of straw-roofed restaurants further from the water.

Cecil had been wearing black swim trunks, but as Carlos continued along the beach, squinting near-sightedly at everyone he passed, he began to realize that black was, indeed, a popular color.

In fact, Cecil’s trunks _weren’t_ black, but patterned in ultraviolet with the NVCR logo and little microphones—Carlos had checked with a blacklight once and it was true—but for all the good it was going to do today, they were black.

Carlos decided he shouldn’t wander too far from the cove in case Cecil was coming back that way, and turned to doubleback, still squinting at the couples standing around and relaxing on the beach. It was easy to discount most of them because they came in pairs, so he limited himself to men standing alone.

As he made it back to the stretch of white beach in front of the cove, he spotted Cecil. He was standing with his back to him, holding a drink in one hand and looking out over the water.

“Cecil! There you are! I was getting worried—”

Carlos walked up to the radio host and touched him on the elbow. Cecil turned and Carlos, now close enough that he didn’t have to squint, realized with a jolt that it wasn’t Cecil.

The nose was all wrong, and this man had more of a five o’clock shadow than Cecil did.

Carlos felt himself blush furiously. “Oh, um, crap. Sorry, wrong person,” Carlos stammered, taking a hasty step back.

“It’s okay,” said the man with what Carlos thought was a smile. “Happens all the time.”

“Sorry,” Carlos stammered again and retreated further.

“Carlos!”

Carlos spun hastily around at the sound of Cecil’s voice, and exhaled in relief as he saw his husband walking towards him across the sand, holding something brown and fuzzy in each hand.

“Line was a little longer than expected; sorry,” Cecil said as he reached him. Carlos kept his eyes locked on Cecil’s face until he came into semi-clear focus and he could confirm that it was, indeed, Cecil. “You okay, sweetie?”

Carlos relaxed and gave him a tender smile. “Yeah.” He reached out and took one of the brown things from Cecil—a coconut with a fluorescent green twirly straw, it turned out—and laced the fingers of his free hand with Cecil’s. “You want to go back in the water? I can teach you to tread water if you like.”

Cecil leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sounds neat.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

Carlos had never felt more relaxed in his entire life. The sun was warm on his cheek and all along his body—not unpleasantly hot, just delightfully warm. Cecil had done a _very thorough_ job with the sunscreen earlier, and now the two of them were stretched out on matching beach chairs.

Carlos turned his head and looked over at Cecil. The radio host had flipped onto his front and looked almost like he had dozed off, except every now and then he’d start humming to himself. Carlos felt a contented smile slip over his face, lying there watching Cecil breathe.

He didn’t know how long he stayed that way, memorizing every line of Cecil’s face as he listened to the waves rolling in and the chatter of activity on the beach.

Then Cecil opened his eyes, and Carlos’ smile grew involuntarily.

“How’s the tan coming?” Carlos asked mildly.

Cecil smiled back at him and shrugged. “I can’t really tell. What’s it look like from over there?”

Carlos propped himself up onto one elbow and made a show of looking Cecil over, his eyes roving from head to foot. “Looking good,” he said slowly, drawing out the words lazily. “Though I think I see some red spots...I think you need another layer of _sunscreen_.” Carlos shifted his gaze back up to Cecil’s face and grinned at him so there was no misunderstanding his... _entirely honorable_ intentions.

Cecil grinned back and rolled over leisurely. “Do I now? Should I come over there, then? So you can... _reapply_ it?” Cecil raised his eyebrows at him meaningfully, and Carlos grinned even wider.

“My thoughts exactly.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

The sun was setting in a blaze of pink and red and purple, reflecting off the ocean and turning the water into crystalline ruby and amethyst.

Carlos and Cecil were sitting next to each other on the edge of a wooden boardwalk skirting the beach. A line of palm trees nearby swayed in the light breeze. Most of the tourists had left the beach by now, leaving only a handful of pitched umbrellas and abandoned reclining beach chairs. The breeze was still warm, tugging at Carlos’ loose white shirt and ruffling Cecil’s hair.

“This was nice,” Cecil said quietly, leaning gently against Carlos. “But I’m ready to go home now.”

Carlos nodded and wrapped his arm around Cecil’s shoulders. “Me too. I miss my science.”

“I miss Night Vale,” Cecil sighed. “Janice, and Dana, and even Hiram and Steve.”

Carlos nodded again and moved his hand so he could stroke it through Cecil’s hair. “We’ll be back before you know it. Our flight leaves at nine, so we’ll be home in time for supper.”

“Big Rico’s,” Cecil suggested, and Carlos smiled at the thought.

“Yes.”

For a few moments they just watched the sun sink closer to the horizon, and then Carlos unwrapped his arm from around Cecil. “But our vacation’s not over quite yet!” he said cheerily, reaching into the bag by his side.

Cecil looked over with interest as Carlos produced a bottle and two champagne glasses.

“I thought we could make a toast,” Carlos said as he handed Cecil a glass.

“Champagne?” Cecil sounded delighted.

“The real stuff, too,” Carlos confirmed, setting his glass down to peel the wrapping off the top of the bottle. He pried the metal cage over the cork off and, bracing the base of the bottle against his ribs, tried turning the cork. It didn’t move. He tried turning the other way, and otherwise trying to wiggle the cork out of the bottle, but it stayed firmly stuck.

“You want me to try?” Cecil asked helpfully, but Carlos waved him away.

“No, no, I’ll get it…”

After several more moments of trying to force the cork out of the bottle, Carlos sighed and handed it to Cecil. “I give up.”

Cecil fought with it for a few moments and then suddenly the cork turned under his hand. “Got it!”

“Oh, good.” Carlos laughed a bit. “That wasn’t very romantic, though, was it?”

Cecil looked up at him, and for a moment looked so incredibly sincere that Carlos felt his heart swell with affection. “Of course it was romantic,” Cecil said. “You were here.”

Carlos felt himself blush and had to busy himself with something in his bag while Cecil popped the cork.

Cecil poured them both half-glasses and set the bottle aside. “What would you like to toast to?” Cecil asked, handing him his glass.

Carlos smiled at him shyly and raised his glass. “Community radio.”

Cecil blushed and raised his own glass in a second toast. “To science.”

They both drank, the sparkling liquid leaving a pleasant buzz behind Carlos’ eyes and the taste of stars on his tongue. He didn’t think he’d ever drunk anything more exhilarating and pleasurable.

He met Cecil’s eye and they both raised their glasses again, Carlos somehow knowing what Cecil was going to say before he did. “To Night Vale,” they said together.

They were halfway through the bottle when the sun first touched the surface of the water, sparkling off the waves and highlighting the handful of cumulous clouds nearby in orange and pink.

Carlos looked over at Cecil, the champagne making him a little dizzy.

Cecil’s cheeks were glowing, though Carlos couldn’t tell if it was because of the alcohol or the rosy glow the sun was casting over everything. He was also gazing back at Carlos like he made the incredible sunset look like a child’s finger painting in comparison.

Carlos felt the warm buzzing in his chest increase, and he leaned over to kiss Cecil. Cecil’s eyes were closed before he even reached him, and as their lips met, Carlos thought that Cecil tasted even better than the champagne.

When they had finished, twilight was giving way to night, and only a few orange streaks still reflected off the ocean.

Carlos slid a hand over to rest on Cecil’s knee, and Cecil looked over at him in surprise. Carlos gave him a sheepish smile, and Cecil smiled back. Then Cecil leaned over and rested his head on Carlos’ shoulder.

The ocean grew calm and the sky darkened, and Carlos and Cecil sat together on the boardwalk and watched the stars come out, one by one.

 


End file.
